WHY I’M DOING THIS

You might ask why I am doing this; reaching back sixty years to revisit what was going on in my life in the 1950’s, 60’s and early 70’s.  You may wonder why I am taking the time to pull this together. The main reason is that now that I’m getting older, 79 as I write this, I realize how much I would like to have detailed information from my parents and grandparents regarding how they felt, what their experiences were, what was important to them; information about the highlights of their lives.  It would be great to know how it was for my grandfather when he came west in the late 19th century. Why did he make the journey? What were his dreams, motivations and difficulties? What experiences were most thrilling for him? I always thought of how fascinating it would be to know some details relating to my parents and grandparents early lives so I decided I would tell my children, their children and of course, my great grandkids what I was up to in my youth.  I can tell you it was a steep learning curve, never boring and a great adventure.  

So, what was grandpa BG up to in his youth?   As I said … a rocket ride! A lot of fun, never boring, a steep learning curve and a grand adventure. My dad experienced a surge of success when he was Sports Editor of the Seattle PI in the early thirties.  My grandfather (your great grandfather, or is it now great great?) E. S. Hall was a sailor and became one of the early Commodores, one of the officers, at the Tacoma Yacht Club, and later became the first Superintendent of Mt Rainier National Park.  How did he achieve that? What were his connections? How did he get the job? You don’t get to be commodore of the Tacoma Yacht Club unless you are highly respected and well established in the upper echelons of the business community. I wish I could go online and have him tell me how it was for him back then; tell me how he came by his money.  My stories are about things that happened fifty to sixty and more years ago. His stories would be about things that were happening more than one hundred years ago.  

And to my grandkids:  There isn’t anything that you can’t do if you get completely enthusiastic, committed, and work your tail off in your twenties.  You can do twenty years work in less than a decade. You will learn a lot and create a lot of opportunities for yourself and others associated with you;  broaden your horizons in the future. Focus on your enthusiasm, commitment, your vision. Believe in yourself. Nurture your self-confidence. Believe you can do it and it will happen.  It’s not about money; it’s about believing in yourself, about having a dream. A vision of where you want to go and what you want to do with your life. A commitment to work right along from day to day to achieve your goals.  Everything is possible when you are young and vibrant with a big bushy tail. Enrich the lives of others through your enthusiasm and commitment to what you are doing.